“It was terrible, as you can imagine. Hygiene conditions were absolutely deplorable,” said one French passenger.

The loss of electricity on the ship meant that toilets could not be flushed and the air conditioning stopped functioning.

“The heat is unbearable, so we had to spend most of our nights on the top deck of the ship," explained another passenger.

Of the 31 British passengers on board, all but one of whom are over 50, most have opted to remain in the Seychelles for a holiday. They will be transferred to hotels on neighbouring islands by boat, plane or catamaran.

The accident came six weeks after another ship owned by the company, the Costa Concordia, capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after ramming into a rocky outcrop at night, forcing the panic-stricken evacuation of its 4,200 passengers and crew members.